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Rating: The 2009 seems like a lucky year for Sirenia, a Norwegian gothic metal band founded by singer and composer Morten Veland after he closed the chapter with his previous group, Tristania.
After 3 albums and an EP with Sirenia (formerly known as Masters of Sirenia), with the help of Spanish soprano Ailyn, the group’s new addition, Morten created this album, full of symphonic and orchestral parts surrounded by wonderful choruses in perfect gothic style. Each song on the CD is unique and special: there’s one where the choruses dominate, the heavy one with the dark riff where Morten's growl is highlighted, and the soft one with pop-like atmospheres.
The first single "The path to decay" is beautiful: the electronic effects before the initial riff set the CD’s atmosphere well. Even though it sometimes seems more like a pop song, it is still pleasant to listen to.
After a brief pop interlude with the following "Lost in life", where, unlike the opener, the growl is not present, we reach one of the best songs on the CD: "The mind maelstrom", with its dark and heavy bridge and the chorus sung by choruses. Here, Ailyn’s voice intertwines well with the background violins and reaches very high notes. The subsequent "The 7th summer" is characterized by Morten's clean vocals: in my opinion, that is the best track on the entire CD.
"Beyond life scenery" is characterized by the choruses alternating with Ailyn's voice in the chorus and the bridge sung by Morten. The following track "The lucid door", while slightly reminiscent of the previous one, has a gothic atmosphere that defines it: both the lyrics and the refrain are dark. "Led astray" and "Winterborn 77" do not feature any growl parts, but Ailyn still gives a good performance of her voice, and in the penultimate song, the violin plays a moving melody. The last track of the album is in perfect Sirenia-style: choruses in the refrain, Morten's growl, clean vocals, female part with violin in the background, and lyrics about mythological sirens.
If you give this album a superficial listen, it may seem easy-listening, but it is not at all. If you listen to it attentively, you will notice that the refined sound, the interplay between growl and female voice, the terribly enigmatic lyrics (written by the equally enigmatic leader Morten), and the choruses make it a complex yet pleasing album to listen to. Singers Morten and Ailyn, with their excellent vocal techniques (he is a tenor, she is a soprano), have skillfully placed their voices into the record, showcasing their very developed ranges.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 The Path to Decay (04:17)
Life brings nothing for the sane
Keep searching new days on the horizon
While time just seems to slip away
I'm leaving no trace along the way
Seems like I'm falling deeper,
deeper inside myself
Feels like I'm growing weaker,
much weaker each day
along the path to decay
The lights are fading day by day
No cure for the lost, there's no ascending
When life could not become more pale
a new dawn is here, another day
Seems like I'm falling deeper,
deeper inside myself
Feels like I'm growing weaker,
much weaker each day
along the path to decay
Darkness within us all
We're feeble and stand to fall
The daylight has long since gone
but a new dawn has yet to come
Seems like I'm falling deeper,
deeper inside myself
Feels like I'm growing weaker,
much weaker each day
along the path to decay
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